Thursday, September 29, 2016

ABC Gives Full Season Orders to 'Speechless' and 'Designated Survivor'

After airing only two episodes, ABC has given full season orders to drama Designated Survivor and comedy Speechless. The order is for nine additional episodes each - bringing each show's season tally up to 22 episodes.

"Designated Survivor and Speechless are two of the most critically acclaimed new shows of the fall season," said Channing Dungey, ABC Entertainment president. "We're very proud of the creative excellence in front of and behind the camera, and are thrilled to be giving our audience more episodes."

The pickups today mean three freshman series have already been given full season orders. Designated Survivor and Speechless join NBC's This Is Us - which got picked up for five more episodes on Tuesday before its second episode even aired.

In Live+3 figures, the series premiere of Designated Survivor was seen by 15.317 million total viewers and posted a 3.7 rating in the key Adults 18-48 demographic. In the same metric, the series premiere of Speechless was seen by 9.165 million total viewers and posted a 2.6 rating in Adults 18-49.